Monthly Archives: August 2015

By some estimates, there were more than 2 wireless networked devices for every person on the planet in 2014. The multiplier is expected to reach 5 by the year 2020.

This explosive proliferation of networked technology offers remarkable opportunities, but also inspires concern that the connected future may result in ubiquitous, inescapable, surveillance of every aspect of our lives. Legislators and regulators around the world are grappling with the implications of this technology for the ability to protect personal privacy interests and the practical problems of applying legal regimes originally developed in a very different era.

Part 1 of this post provided an overview of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority’s domain name dispute resolution process. Part 2 outlines a similar process available through the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (“WIPO”) Arbitration and Mediation Center.… Continue Reading

Individuals or businesses may find themselves in a dispute over a domain name, whether as a complainant or the registered owner of the domain name.

Depending on the parties involved and where the domain name is registered, two potential avenues for domain name dispute resolution are through: (1) the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (“CIRA”), and (2) the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”).

Copyright law offers up a panoply of interesting questions, which often verge on the philosophical. One such question is: if one tries to make a copy of something, but the copy is defective and useless, has one made a copy at all? According to a recent decision of Master Hanebury, of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, the answer could be yes.… Continue Reading

Recently, Google has announced two new patent-related initiatives. The first being the overhaul of Google Patents, a search tool of existing patent databases, and the second being the launch of the Google Patent Starter Program, giving away patents for free.

These two initiatives build on Google’s effort to impact patent reform in the United States and beyond. Prior to these announcements, Google’s efforts included the launch of the Patent Purchase Promotion in April (which we discussed here). Google has not officially released any information on the outcome of the Patent Purchase Promotion but Kurt Brasch, a lawyer at Google, … Continue Reading

Companies in early and growth stages often need significant funding to achieve their business goals but can have difficulties finding potential investors. Until recently, Canadian regulatory rules prohibited companies in Canada from raising financing by issuing shares and other securities to the general public unless they either (i) filed a qualifying prospectus; or (ii) relied on an exemption from the requirement to file a prospectus under securities laws, which limited the pool of potential investors to people such as friends & family, business associates and accredited investors.

Recently, certain Canadian Securities Administrators introduced a new prospectus exemption, known as the … Continue Reading

About This Blog

This blog houses our commentary on the impact of developing Internet, information technology and intellectual property laws, discusses recent technology news and relates insights derived from our experiences in the technology sector. The blog also shares best practices generated by our decrypted, user-friendly and accessible technology and IP team.

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About McCarthy Tétrault’s Technology and IP Groups

McCarthy Tétrault’s technology and IP team has extensive experience providing advice on complex information technology matters, including sophisticated IT systems procurements and enterprise-wide licensing arrangements. We have handled more outsourcing deals than any other Canadian law firm. Our expertise includes Canadian technology company acquisitions (Canadian inbound); U.S. and international tech M&A and financing transactions; and global rollouts for Canadian technology companies. We also protect our clients’ interests in all facets of intellectual property management, providing everything from pragmatic strategies and due diligence reviews to pre-litigation counselling and litigation of infringements.